UK Managers are ambitious but dont want the top job

New research reveals that 70% of mid-ranking executives donít want their bossís job

However, 48% of respondents claim they are very ambitious

Bureaucracy (48%) and office politics (45%) are the factors most likely to cause middle managers to leave an organisation

43% of managers feel they are not given their due respect

The average manager surveyed has worked for their organisation for more than eight years

Over two thirds (70%) of the UKís mid-ranking managers donít covet their bossís job, according to a new survey entitled View from the middle by leading business publication Management Today (MT).

But with nearly half (48%) rating themselves as very ambitious, with a five year plan to either move to another organisation (25.5%) or set up in business for themselves (11.3%), it appears that a dislike for office politics (45% of middle managers admitting that office politics was damaging their organisation) and levels of bureaucracy (48% of those surveyed admit it is the thing they most dislike about their job) will be the contributing factors to these individuals taking their talent elsewhere.

Many said that if they were CEO they would change the structure and the culture of the company, with 47% feeling that senior managers had ëentrenched views and need to changeí.

Matthew Gwyther, editor of MT, comments:
ìIt seems that a lack of respect is also a factor, with 43% of those surveyed feeling they are under-appreciated for the work they do. This is seen most clearly in those cases where they feel others have been promoted ahead of them due to factors such as operational skills or length of service, as opposed to creative flair or aptitude.î

MT surveyed more than 1,000 junior, middle and senior managers from a mix of private and public-sector organisations, including BP, the NHS, BT, Barclays, Hewlett Packard and LloydsTSB. More than 40% of the respondents were female.

Other Key Findings from the MT survey

How ambitious are you?
Very 47.5%
Moderately 26.0%
Fairly 20.7%
Not Very 5.8%

Are you actively seeking promotion?
No 54.4%
Yes 45.6%

Do you want your bossís job?
No 68.8%
Yes 31.2%

In five yearís time, where do you think you will be?

In the same organisation in a more senior role - 27.1%
Running your own business - 19.1%
In a bigger organisation- 11.3%
In another similar-sized organisation in a similar role - 9.8%
Retired - 7.7%
In the same job - 7.6%
In a smaller organisation - 4.4%

Job satisfaction
- 88% said one of their most motivating factors was ëa sense of achievementí
- 79% said the biggest contribution to their job satisfaction was ëhaving relative autonomyí
- 48% said bureaucracy was the most disliked aspect of being a manager
- 46% said they were happy with their work/life balance

Rating the boss
- 66% rated their manager a good leader
- 32% said their manager doesnít give them the support they need to do their job well
- 56% agreed that ësenior management is very effectiveí
- 47% said that senior management had ëentrenched views and needs to changeí